Page Updated January 20, 2010 Since the original publication of this book in January 1996, some changes have taken place concerning the presentation of information found here. Many new bottles were added and several bottles which were listed in the first printed edition have been removed because they were not true Rhode Island bottles but were bottles from out-of-state branches of Rhode Island companies. A few examples of this were RI-838, 839, 840, and 841 as listed in the very first edition. Since these bottles were from the Massachusetts and Connecticut branches of the Providence Brewing Company and did not say Rhode Island on them, we felt it was incorrect to list them as bottles from our state. Therefore, they were removed. There are some bottles listed which carry known Rhode Island company names but do not say RI on them. In most cases these bottles are definitely RI bottles even though they don't say as such. However, there are several bottle which are questionable, two being the Dr. S. A. Weaver's Cerate and Dr. S. A. Weaver's Canker & Salt Rheum Syrup. The early pontil Weaver bottles say Providence, RI on them and are obviously from this state. But there was also a Dr. Weaver listed in New York. Therefore, the examples which do not specifically say RI may be from either state. These bottles will remain listed in the book until it is proven that they are not RI bottles. Also, there are several bottles that can be attributed to both RI and another state at the same time. A few examples would be the Caswell/Hazard, Caswell/Mack, and Hazard/Hazard bottles from Newport and New York. The company was formed here in RI, but when the sons of the original owners took over, the main headquarters was moved to New York, keeping the Newport location open and running. Bottles of this type are considered "shared" bottles, attributed to both states. A large number of hobbyists who purchased the book asked why a rating and price scale wasn't used for all of the listed bottles. Many felt that price and rarity were very important pieces of information which should have been included in the book. Initially, we felt that estimating prices would cause some collectors to use the book as a price guide and this was not the purpose for which the book was intended. But, because of the request for some sort of guide, we decided that prices are a major part of our hobby and the section found on this website entitled Advertised Prices was developed. Generally, reported prices are subjective and will vary depending on what region of the country a collector is from. The prices shown for the items contained in that section were taken mainly from sales lists and auction results with most coming from the online auction site, eBay. Unfortunately, this section has not been kept current so the prices are several years old. Hopefully updates will be forthcoming in 2010 and prices will reflect a more current market. By 2009, so many "new" bottles had been reported and added to the book that the original numbering system had become unruly and it was very difficult to place new additions in a reasonable order. So, in October of that year, the entire online book began to get updated with almost every bottle getting a new number. To make the transition a little easier, a chart has been developed showing the new number, the number it was replacing, and the original number from the 1996 printed book. This revision will not make a huge impact on the majority of people using the online book but it will assist those who have catalogued their Rhode Island bottles and marked them with the previous numbers. Hopefully this won't have to be done again for another 10 - 15 years and I'll probably be dead or at the very least senile and someone else can have the pleasure of the task. After several delays, it is hoped that the new numbers will appear sometime in the first part of 2010. Fingers crossed.... WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you happen to find a RI bottle that is not listed, please send us the information so we can add it to the book. Email Dave Andrews at dandrews@littlerhodybottleclub.org and let him know what you have. We will also be happy to add your name to our list of contributors.  Please click here to make comments, suggestions, or corrections. Back To Top